GOING PUBLIC 6.8.12: To Those Who Cut Us Down
by Emily Walker & Little Fiction; copyright Emily Walker
Recorded and shared with permission from the author
http://www.littlefiction.com/beta/Emily_Walker_To_Those_Who_Cut_Us_Down.html
There is some truly amazing work coming out via Little Fiction, and if you haven't already started tracking their publications, you're cheating yourself. The writing offered is raw and real, and I'm kinda crushing on some of it a little.
This is my newest crush - "To Those Who Cut Us Down," by Emily Walker. This piece, a suicide note of sorts bracketed by a message to the first responders who would need to deal with the physical mess left behind by a public, joint suicide, is so powerful and heartfelt. It's a raw look at addiction, both to love and substance, and the trauma that can result. After working on Saving Angelfish, I guess I have to admit to needing a fix of human tragedy, something that wrings you out because at its core, it's not really fiction.
This piece, based on the July 1998 double suicide of Michael Douglas and Mora McGowan in Portland, Oregon, tries to answer the multi-layered question of "Why?" and the answer may not be what most wanted to hear. But it is a powerful, moving exploration of it.